As a part of a student-centered career exploration and goal-driven strategy to connect with a person or an entity that does what they desire (as a career option), I present the old concept of Show and Tell. Using Show and Tell, adult learners use communication, research, technology, network building, and career exploration to identify an agent who collectively employs the career skills they desire to execute. Students conduct introspective research to determine their goals, beliefs, attitudes, values, schedules, skills, and employment strategies to find, connect with, observe, interview, and share (with the class) this agent and what they have learned about their selected career path or a closely related field.

As state initiatives drive students toward career paths that look promising based upon anticipated growth and labor market data, this Show and Tell challenges students to explore their own underlying systems and expectations toward task-driven steps to finding an active model and someone to connect with that has insight regarding industry knowledge, skills development, and educational opportunities both inside and outside the network, that will take them further than the mere course(s) of study. The overall scope of Show and Tell encourages students to inventory what they desire as it relates to choosing a career path, finding out what is actively happening in the world of work, and seek ways of how to get connected with more than just education as a tool. The experience facilitates self-direction that link students to a wealth of information from a LIVE person or group and encourages ongoing research, communication, investigation, evaluation, and development as students blossom toward their goals and establish employment opportunities for themselves.

As a part of the assignments, students are asked to contact, initially by call or letter, inquiring about the availability for an informal interview, an observation/job shadowing session, and an invitation to participate in a Show and Tell presentation as a class requirement. The teacher facilitates the communication strategies based upon the strengths of the class itself (i.e. beginners, intermediate, etc.).